Register today, or lose the right to vote on the 2nd of May!

If you want your name to be added to the Electoral Register, go to the Government website, where you can register online, or, again, lose the right to vote. You have until 11.59pm TODAY, that is Tuesday the 16th of April 2024 to register, and don't forget, a General Election is due within the next 9 months.

Also, you now do need to take photo ID if you want to vote at the local elections, and for Police & Crime Commissioner, on Thursday the 2nd of May 2024, and whenever the General Election is held. If you turn up at the polling booth without photo ID, you won't be allowed to vote, so get it now if you don't already have an acceptable method of ID, and don't want to lose your right to vote.

Acceptable photo ID includes an original (not photocopied) Passport, Driving Licence, Older or Disabled Persons' Bus Pass, Freedom Pass, other Concessionary Travel Cards and SmartPasses, PASS Card, and EEA ID cards. For full details of acceptable photo ID go to the Electoral Commission website.

If you don't have any photo ID that qualifies, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, providing you are on the Electoral Register, at the Government website.

This policy was introduced last year, if you want further details, and of how it went for elections last year and by-elections, go to this Parliamentary Research Briefing.

For further details go to the Electoral Commission website. 👍

Don't lose your right to vote folks! ✔

2024/25 Council Tax Bill

Yes, indeed, my 2024/25 Council Tax Bill came through the letterbox this afternoon, unsurprisingly it's gone up again, this year by an overall 4.7%. January saw the last official British inflation rate at 4% and it was projected to drop over the year. So, the rise is slightly more than the inflation rate at the moment, but of course, prices have increased significantly more than 4% since March 2023.

Adult Social Care has the lowest increase since last year at 2%; East Sussex County Council, Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex Fire Authority have all had increases of 3%; as usual, the amount of increase gone to the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner is higher, that is by 5.4% (remember this when you're told more money is being spent on increasing the number of police officers).

Local elections coming in May, General Election soon-ish?!?

Council Tax Rise Above Inflation... Again!

I'm guessing I'm not the only resident to have received their 2021/22 Council Tax Bill. Well, ever since the Government started cutting back payment of Central Government Revenue Support Grant to local councils in 2010, Hastings has been bashed, becoming one of the first 40% of local councils to have central funding completely taken away in 2019 (blog). Indeed, recent above inflation increases have been because of council tax payers having to provide the funds to pay for the recruitment of police officers to replace the thousands that Central Government has got rid of since 2010.

For the third year running the annual 'precept' that we have had to pay to the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner has far exceeded the rest of the council tax percentage increases. In 2019/20 this part of the council tax bill increased by a massive 14.5%! In 2020/21 it increased by 7.8%, and this year by 7.5%, and all to pay for Central Government's promises to increase the number of police officers. We, Hastings council tax payers are in fact funding Government promises, and they take the applause!

Reasons for 2021/2022 Bill increase:

• East Sussex County Council contribution increased by 2.0%
• Adult Social Care contribution increased by 1.5%
• Hastings Borough Council contribution increased by 2.0%
• East Sussex Fire Authority contribution increased by 2.0%
• Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner contribution increased by 7.5% 

And, if you consider the inflation rate is currently either just below or just above 1.0%, depending on which figures you use, the Consumer Prices Index or Retail Prices Index, we are paying an increase of way above the inflation rate; incidentally, the Government and Bank of England inflation target is 2.0%, hence councils are allowed to make increases in council tax for that amount. 

So we, local council tax payers, are being allowed to pay above the targeted 2.0% increases for council services to pay for the Government's promises and ineptitude, that is, the Government allows us to pay increases way above the inflation rate for our police service. Great, eh? We are paying to make up for 11 years now of Central Government underfunding of the Police, many thanks Johnson! 😒

Council Tax Increase 2019 and Update.

Most of you will have received your council tax bill by now, an increase of 3% by Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council, but pushed up to 4% overall by an increase for the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner of 14.5%. Money going to pay for Police services looks reasonable, we all know that central government funding to the Police has dropped significantly since 2010, indeed, there are now well over 20,000 fewer police officers in the country, but the extra money that Government has recently said would be spent on Police services is to come directly from us (council taxes), not from the Government, consequently the 14.5% increase!

The bill for people living in accommodation rated at Band A is shown above (£1,271.89 increased to £1,322.58), and percentage increases are the same for other bands too; eg for Band D £1,907.83 to £1,983.86 and for Band G £3,179.72 to £3,306.44 (HBC).

What isn't obvious from these figures, that have risen, roughly, along with inflation since Austerity Measures were introduced by Central Government in 2010, which sounds reasonable. However, since 2010, Central Government Revenue Support Grants to local councils have reduced each year, and this year 168 out of 353 councils in the country no longer receive these grants (LGA), and you've got it, Hastings has been one of those fast-tracked to no grant at all this year! That is, for 2010-11, Hastings received over £14 million in grant, and this has reduced to nothing for us this year (HBC).

Aren't Austerity Measures wonderful (Forbes)?

Extra Cash To Fix Potholes!?!

So, the Government is supplying an extra £100 million to local councils to fix potholes (BBC), of which East Sussex County Council is due to get just under £2 million... This is on top of pay rises for nurses, firemen, and other public service workers (though still below inflation following years of wage stagnation), and the local Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne (and other PCCs), being allowed to increase the 'police precept' part of council tax by 7.8%!

Do I detect a temporary end to 'austerity' and a general election in the offing?!?

2018/19 Council Tax Bill Arrives!

Well, like for most of you, no doubt, my council tax bill dropped through the letterbox this morning and, to be fair to Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council, despite central government yet again reducing its contribution to council spending due to 'austerity cuts', they have kept their parts of the bill down to the current level of inflation in Britain (according to the Consumer Prices Index) of 3%. 

PCC Katy Bourne

However, you will notice that your overall council tax has in fact increased by 5.6%, which is due to the 7.8% increase in the amount to be spent by the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC). This is due to this year's police grant from central government remaining at the same level as last year, with no allowance for inflation, also, to try and prevent the planned reduction in numbers of officers and other staff posts in Sussex Police by 476 following £88 million of austerity cuts since 2009.

Another bill higher than inflation, and higher than wage increases for most people, for those who are getting increases, that is...

Sussex PCC Misleads Public, but...

So, although the Sussex PCC, Katy Bourne, misled the public, she gets off the hook, because the Independent Police Complaints Commission said "it was "unlikely" to have affected the Sussex PCC election." That's OK then, she can lie with impunity, hmmm... 

See BBC website for further information.

More election results for Hastings!

I waited for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex to be announced, who is the sitting incumbent, Katy Bourne, Conservative, with a 22.5% turn-out, up 7.2% on 2012. 

Also, there was another by-election held in Hastings yesterday, for the St Helens & Silverhill seat on East Sussex County Council, again following the sad death of Councillor John Hodges, and which was won by Labour's Judy Rogers with 1,441 votes; 2nd Conservatives 1,253; 3rd Greens 214; last Lib Dems 212.

VOTE TODAY!

Today we have the opportunity, not to just moan to our colleagues, family and friends, but to vote in councillors, and the Police & Crime Commissioner for the Sussex Police Area, so we can then put our concerns to them, rather than just winge... 

Vote today, I certainly shall, as I always do!